I often wonder what it would’ve been like to pastor a church in earlier decades. Like, in the 1960s and ‘70s, every church in America was so full that most of them had to build bigger buildings. (Just like we did.) But for most of those churches in the 21st century, the opposite is true, since many have had to sell buildings instead. So I often wonder what it was like to pastor a church that is bursting at the seams. Well, I don’t have to wonder anymore. Because now we are!

Sometimes we say prayers and then feel like our job is done; there is nothing left for us to do. But that is never the case. As Jesus followers, we are always called to actively build God’s kingdom of heaven here on earth. So it’s never true that all we can do is pray. We can always show love to others and work hard to stop suffering from happening.

Recently, the church was contacted by a friend of Pastor Stuart’s, who was wanting to find a home for a piece of art. Bernice Levy and her husband were trying to find good homes for some of their special possessions, and since the art piece is religious, Bernice thought our church might be a good place for it. Since then, we have learned how special it is.

As Jesus followers, we are called to have a Resurrection perspective in life. Such a perspective gives you an attitude of Abundance, which makes us more likely to love our neighbors, serve other people, and help those in need—all the Jesus kind of things. The opposite attitude is one of Scarcity, where we want to keep as much for ourselves as possible, not willing to listen or share, we’re very touchy, and we get over-reactive.

I have found myself saying this a lot this week: “I’m tired of thinking about the coronavirus.” Have you said or thought that too? I’m sure I said it a lot a year ago, but in corona-time, a year is like a decade and a month is like a year. So last summer was like a different era. And this summer felt different too, but in a good way. As more people were getting vaccinated, more things were possible, and it was great. I was excited and energized about non-stop improvements in health and safety…

when the Jews were exiled to Babylon, it was soul-crushing and spiritually devastating. Not only were they far from home, but they thought they were far from the very presence of God—between 700 and 1,000 miles away, depending on where in Babylon they ended up. So how could they even worship God, since they couldn’t go to the building where they thought God dwelt? That was the motivation for the lament in Psalm 137, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion…. How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” (vv. 1, 4)

The pandemic has put “health” at the forefront of everyone’s minds. “Am I healthy? Am I sick? Is my family healthy?” We’ve worried a lot about what we might have touched and who we were around. It’s why we freak out when we or anyone starts coughing in public. We have health—and sickness—on the brain. Thanks be to God that multiple vaccines are being distributed. It feels like we’re finally getting on track to start improving our physical health as a country. But as my doctor always says during my annual physical, “health” isn’t just physical. It goes deeper. The same is true for our national health as well…………[to continue reading, click View Post above]

Whenever someone experiences an event that is traumatic, they are traumatized. We all know that, but we often don’t think it applies to us or others as much as it actually does. We might think that we have “gotten over it,” but our bodies remember the trauma even if we think we’ve moved on. Stress takes a toll. Being afraid takes a toll and leaves a mark in our psyche, like a scar but on the inside. One of the most well-known examples is military service. Our military service men and women experience far more stress than most of us do…….. [to continue reading, click View Post above]

December is always a special time. The Christmas decorations, music, aromas, clothes, snacks, movies, and everything make this time of year feel magical. But there’s also another reason its magical: during Advent, we experience the past, present, and future.

Today is election day. So how should we handle it? Most importantly, be mindful of what helps you and what doesn’t—what gives you peace, and what stresses you out. It will be tempting to watch constant news or scroll social media all day, but I don’t think that will help you feel more peace and less stress. After you have already voted, maybe helped others be able to vote, and the polls have closed, your civic duty is done for the day, so be sure to take care of yourself…… [click View Post above to keep reading]

This year’s election season has been the most contentious and hostile in recent memory. So in the last three sermons, we talked about how we as Christ-followers can conduct ourselves during such angry tense times. A running theme each week was that we act better when we are more aware of ourselves and others. Our goal is to see ourselves and our neighbors with the eyes of God. We will fall short, but we don’t stop trying. When we lack awareness is when we fall prey to our base human tendencies and temptations…… [click View Post above to keep reading]

This pandemic season has felt like an exile from normal life and doing what we enjoy. Fortunately there are many Bible passages that speak to what it feels like to be plunged into exile. One of the biggest baddest things during the Old Testament was when the Israelites were conquered and taken into exile in Babylon for about 70 years. So if you’re interested in Bible readings with big connections to the times we’re living in…… [click View Post above to keep reading]

During this pandemic time we think and hear a lot about being contagious. We use words like “aerosolized particles” and “contact tracing” to help us be aware of how the coronavirus spreads. What makes this virus so hard to stop is that people can be contagious for a whole week without even having symptoms—walking around spreading it unaware. Hence, masks and distancing to cut down on the spread. But there’s another kind of spreading we need to remember. We can spread feelings too….. [click “View Post” above to keep reading]

I was so touched and surprised during worship this Sunday that it was hard to say how thankful I was to our sweet church. I appreciated so much the congratulations and gift that you gave for the completion of my doctoral degree. The program took years of different kinds of work, and at times I considered stopping. But even though you didn’t know it, you all helped encourage me to keep going. It was your…… [click on “View Post” below to continue reading]

Here’s some Bible trivia for you: What is the first question that a human asks God in the Bible? I’ll give you some time to think about it… Okay, time’s up. The first question that a human asks God in the Bible comes from Genesis 4:9. It’s when Cain asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Good question. ……..[to continue reading, click View Post above]

As we prepare to invite people back into the sanctuary for worship, we have developed many rules in order to maintain the healthiest environment possible. You’ll see them in e-mails and posted on signs around the church; you’ll hear them in announcements and mentioned during worship. Many rules. And it’s okay to say it out loud: rules are annoying….. [click on View Post above to continue reading]

Matthew 10:26-39 always sounded strange to me, because I always pictured Jesus as sweet and smiling, maybe some kids crawling on him, preaching about God’s love and encouraging more peace. And yet in Matthew 10, Jesus announces, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’” That doesn’t fit with the warm fuzzy image of Jesus we’ve put in our heads. What’s going on?…. [click on View Post above to keep reading]

It is a temptation that every human has, to think about and talk about “those people.” “Those people” are anybody we want to group together and judge: “Well that’s just what those people are like. You know how those people act. Everything would be fine if it weren’t for those people.” When we hear of something bad that a person(s) has done, our minds are quick to group together and judge all the other people who are in that same group. It can be done for any grouping……. [click on View Post above to continue reading]